Battle of Zielence

The Battle of Zielence (18 June 1792) was a battle of the War of the Second Coalition that occurred when the Russian army of Irakly Morkov engaged the retreating Polish-Lithuanian army of Jozef Poniatowski at Zielence in Ukraine. The numerically superior Russian forces finally engaged the Polish forces, and the battle began with artillery fire and cavalry clashes. The Russians attempted to assault the Polish lines, and some Polish recruits began to flee. However, Poniatowski sent in some of the experienced troops of the Potocki brigade to the front lines, and the Russian attacks were repulsed with heavy losses. The Russian advannce would collapse, and the Poles launched a counterattack against the Russians. The battle was a pyrrhic victory, as the Poles ran low on food, ammunition, and soldiers. However, the Russians suffered heavy losses, and the Russian pursuit of the retreating Polish forces was slowed. King Stanislaw II of Poland created the "Virtuti Militari" award to the honor heroic and courageous soldiers of the battle at Zielence.